


Perfect Little Imperfection

by Armajesty (hinatella)



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: All Kinds of Fluff, Bigbang drabble collections, Canon Divergence, Drabble Collection, M/M, You've been warned, canon-verse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-13
Updated: 2014-06-28
Packaged: 2018-02-04 11:28:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 4,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1777429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hinatella/pseuds/Armajesty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eren is a firm believer of the fact that Armin Arlert is someone worth living for.</p><p>Indefinite Hiatus</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Not-So-Secret Secret

**Author's Note:**

> So I decided to take up a drabble challenge in which I write 100 drabbles in snk canon-verse [with a set of chosen prompts](http://audreymgonzalez.com/2011/master-list-of-prompts/). I chose to do EreMin and there's going to be fluff and lots of it because my babies need to be happy. uwu
> 
> This is all unplanned and on the whim, and I decided to have some chapters refer to the past and others to the present in no particular order, so sorry in advance for any sort of confusion. //I'm// not even sure how this will go. I'll be posting new drabbles every two days~
> 
> Thanks to momohme69 for quickly editing this for me I'm useless orz.

It's raining outside the sleeping quarters, the harsh water droplets mercilessly banging its liquid fists against the rooftop and the walls and the insignificantly small windows. The thunder is loud, so loud it rattles the bed Eren is sleeping on, shaking him awake from his dreamless sleep. He lays there, groggily listening to the near deafening sound, and he can't help but think that there is something he should probably tend to at that moment. But it must have been well past midnight.

Eren feels the faintest rattling of the bed and assumes that it's the thunder outside again. It takes him awhile to realize that the perpetual rattling isn't thunder and beds aren't meant to shake in such a way. It takes him a little while longer to realize that perhaps his sleep-induced mind isn't going insane at some godly hour—that is the terrified quivering of a body.

He sits up, rubbing at one eye, and blinks multiple times to adjust to the impossibly dark room, made darker because of the rain clouds concealing the moonlight outside. Eren languidly slides himself off the bottom bunk of his bed, standing tall, and rests his arms against the top bunk where Armin sleeps. Only, Armin isn't entirely sleeping right now and Eren is mindful of this. His eyes are closed but they are shut in straining tightness; his light snores are even but laced with meek whimpers; his breath—his breath is panicked.

"Hey—" Eren starts, reaching a hand out to shake Armin's quivering shoulder. Armin wakes up with a gasping start, and Eren immediately brings a hand to his lips because he knows Armin will make a sound and wake up the others. (How they managed to sleep through a raging storm, Eren will never know.)

Without a second thought, he hoists himself up into the top bunk next to Armin and slips under the bed sheet with him. He stops when his leg brushes up against Armin's, and he throws the disheveled blankets back over the blond boy's shoulders.

"Eren, what are you...?" Armin's voice cracks from sleepy disuse.

Eren doesn't say anything, doesn't answer the unfinished question. He only wordlessly and gently slings an arm around Armin's still quivering shoulders and pulls his body close.

It's no secret that Armin is scared of thunderstorms. He's terrified of them. Armin wants him to believe that he's fine, Eren is aware, as he halfheartedly attempts to break free from Eren's hold. Eren only holds him closer, grips him tighter, and whispers reassurances in his ear.

When Armin finally concedes, Eren moves a hand up to his head and intertwines his fingers in his soft blond hair.

It's a big secret he's keeping, the adoration and overwhelming love he feels for Armin.

As Armin awkwardly wraps his lanky arms around Eren's waist and he rests his chin against the top of his cute blond head, Eren can't help but think that maybe...

Maybe it's no secret at all.


	2. The First Time We Met

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first time they'd met wasn't actually the first time they met.

The question was posed one slow afternoon during lunchtime after a tiresome morning of strategy classes and warm-up exercises. It was asked by one curious Jean Kirchstein, who had taken note of how unusually close the two were. Eren turned his head to the side to face Armin and found the blue-eyed blond staring back at him, silently communicating whether or not it was of importance to sate Jean's probing curiosity. Eren shrugged and slurped up a spoonful of soup while Armin turned to Jean and began.

_"The first time we met..."_

Of course, Armin would tell the story of the time they met face to face, when Armin was taken to his home by his mother due to a sickness that left his already pale skin appearing haggard and gaunt. His father, the local go-to Dr. Jaegar, had instructed Eren to bring in a bucket of frigid water and a towel to help with his feverish temperature. They made eye contact for the first time and Eren subconsciously declared Armin a gem that should never leave his sight until he was better. He didn't mean for that to extend to the rest of their entire lives, but he was content in making that easy decision.

What Armin didn't know, and Eren wasn't sure if he should or keep it to himself and take with him to his indefinite grave, was the first time they had _actually_ met. It was an outlandish, fleeting meeting and he doubted that Armin recalled it. Eren was playing on the streets with his mother, Carla, supervising nearby. He was laughing mirthfully one minute, and the next he found himself with his back on the ground and his dazed eyes staring up at the cloudless summer sky.

"Oh, my god, I'm so sorry!" he heard a voice say above him. Then a small face came into view, blocking out part of the sky from Eren's gaze. Eren blinked once, twice, and three times when his gaze focused. He thought he was staring straight into the face of one of those child angels his mother told him about during her bedtime stories, the ones that would protect humans from darkness with light. But he wasn't in any danger as far as he could tell.

Did he die?

The blond boy with the big blue eyes offered Eren a hand, and Eren timidly took it and was surprised to find that he didn't need to put effort into pulling himself up; Blue-Eyed Angel wasn't as delicate as he looked.

"Are you okay? Oh!" he said suddenly, gazing at Eren somewhere above his eyes. Eren tilted his head bemusedly.

"What is it?"

"You have a...your forehead has a cut on it."

It was then that Eren noticed the faint throbbing on the right side of his forehead.

"Oh, it's..." he cut himself off when Blue-Eyed Angel placed adorably small hands on his shoulders, raised on the tip of his toes, and placed a soft kiss to his forehead. Eren's eyes widened in shock and his mouth was rendered slightly ajar in confused question.

Blue-Eyed Angel smiled brightly, the brightest smile he'd ever seen, and explained, "My grandfather says kisses help sometimes. Sorry I couldn't do anything else, I have to go!" he turned and jogged off, leaving Eren in the middle of the street, more confused than he had ever been in his seven years of life.

Carla placed a hand on his shoulder, small smile suggesting she'd just witnessed what had happened. "Eren, are you okay?" she asked, pressing the fingertips of her other hand to one of his cheeks. "Your face is red."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This drabble is in the past! I think I'll constantly alternate between present and past events for odd and even drabbles, respectively. That should be fun. And hella hard. I'm insane.
> 
> I have no idea if Eren recognizes Mikasa as his sister of adoptive sister or his friend or something else entirely so I just went with adoptive sister. That little detail is subjected to change, maybe.


	3. Underneath a Summer Sun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, Eren enjoys not-so subtly watching Armin from afar.

Eren stands in the middle of the field, metallic flask in hand as he brings it up to his lips and takes generously large gulps at a time. The weather is unforgivingly hot and causes a thin layer of sweat to permeate through his clothing. He brings his unoccupied hand up to wipe away the sweat from his forehead, but that does little to help; he can already feel little droplets replacing the ones he'd just gotten rid of.

Eren, as well as a few others, were instructed to go out to the woods near the old Survey Corp's headquarters for target practice with the three-dimensional maneuver gears. He'd been out of commission for weeks due to the mess involving the military police, and being locked up in a cell for so long he lost his sense of time took its slight toll on his stamina. He was fighting to push himself back to acceptable physical standards, but one day in and he was panting within twenty minutes of exercising his dormant skills. 

Leaning against the trunk of a tree, he watches as the others busied themselves; there is Levi near the lone dilapidated picnic table, setting out boxes of food and Petra is helping right beside him, Gunter and Erd are tending to the horses; Auruo is up in a tree, shouting down at the new recruits with all the authority he didn't actually have. Eren, from where he stands, can see the sharp daggers of annoyance Jean is glaring up at him.

He can hear the distinct laughter before he actually sees it. Eren swiftly scans the clearing until he spots the unmistakable fluff of blond hair standing next to a tall figure with a vibrant red scarf around her pale neck. The laughter came from Armin, his eyes narrowed into delicate little crescents. Standing in front of him is Mikasa, her features suggesting that she's only barely smiling; Eren is too far away to see the curve of her lips.

Silently, Eren contemplates whether he should walk over to them. He would not hesitate, normally, but some days he is much more content in watching the petite blond from afar. There's no bone-chilling hard-staring stalking involved, only curious (admiration) analyzing, Eren often justifies to himself. There's certain things he's only able to notice at a distance, like Armin's adorably small form or his pleasantly round bottom; his little habits like the faint rocking on the balls of his feet and the way he hugs his arms close to his body in that ceaseless show of protection, though they are slightly loose now with his fingertips hooked into the sleeve of his jacket. He notices how his perfectly blond hair seems to glisten underneath the summer sun.

Armin brushes his shoulder length hair behind his ear, but a few strands fall back into his face. Of mild frustration, he blows those fly-away strays away, but they stubbornly lay at rest directly in front of his eyes. Eren chuckles to himself as he watches the cute display.

"Oi, Eren!" an annoying voice calls from somewhere above him. He hears the sharp sound of wires zipping through the air and Auruo lands a few feet in front of him. "Wipe that stupid love-stricken look off your face. You have work to do!"

Eren, embarrassed, ducks his head as he pushes himself away from the tree truck. He glances back at Armin once more, allows his a small smile, and grabs the gear he left near the base of the tree.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Plot?
> 
> There might be plot. There could be plot. But I'm not exactly sure if there is plot.


	4. A Childlike Wonder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren goes to his mother in hopes that she will quell his curiosity.

"Mama, are angels real?"

Eren brought up the question one afternoon while he peeked his head over the counter top in the kitchen, his chin resting against the wooden surface. He watched curiously as his mother prepared the day's dinner, her delicate yet coarse hands running vegetables underneath the faucet, and impatiently waited for her to sate his childlike wonder.

Carla glanced down at Eren momentarily before shutting the water off and wiping her soaked hands on her apron. "Of course, Eren. I told you those stories for a reason, didn't I?"

Eren pouted a little. "That's not really true, Mama! You told me garden gnomes would help keep the garden safe, and when I got a bunch and put them around the garden, it still wasn't safe! The garden was ruined!"

She shook her head, laughing to herself, and reached out a hand to pinch Eren's cheek. "Yes, but _that's_ because you rolled straight through it with the barrel. Remember?"

Eren lowered his head in slight embarrassment. Oh, right. He forgot about that. He raised his head again, staring up at his mother intently. "Do angels come here sometimes?"

"Yes, Eren. They're here to protect us like our very own guardians."

He sighed petulantly and spoke emphatically, " _Yeah_ , but do they exist on Earth? Do they walk around like people do? Do they have grandfathers that tell them things sometimes?"

Carla raised a questioning eyebrow at her son. "Where is all of this coming from?"

Eren briefly thought back to the time he'd come across Blue-Eyed Angel, the person that he was completely convinced wasn't an actual human being. He just seemed too pure, too pretty a being to belong on this Earth.

He looked up at his mother, shrugging his shoulders. "I don't know. I was just wondering."

Narrowing her eyes, Carla tapped the tip of his nose. "Are you sure, Eren? Your ears are telling me otherwise."


	5. In Five Years

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Eren is deeply enamored by Armin's smile.

When dinnertime came around, Eren scans the tables, and then peers at the doorway of the cafeteria, expecting Armin to come through at any minute. He is seated next to Mikasa at a table filled with the familiar faces of his squad members, all chattering away about things like the warming weather, the day’s hard tasks, the upcoming expedition, and how insane some of their squad leaders are. Eren doesn't participate in the conversation; he looks to Mikasa who, he finds, is watching at him intently.

Eren stares at Mikasa silently, questioning, and Mikasa shrugs, returning to her meal. Eren excuses himself from the table and walks out of the room.

He strolls outside in search of Armin and figures he'll be somewhere near the stables since he was put on stable cleaning duty that day. When he walks up to the wooden structure he already sees a small dainty form leaning against the waist-length wall, hands brushing against the snout of one of the horses peeking out of the opening.

Quietly, Eren walks up to him, placing his hand right besides Armin's, and he begins to pet the fine, thin hairs. From his peripheral, he sees that Armin's hand has momentarily stopped moving. He can feel his bright eyes staring at him, and then he starts petting again, much more slow, much more calculated, thoughtfully.

Eren opens his mouth to say something, but Armin beats him to it.

"Do you think things will work out?"

"What?" Eren whips his head to the side, staring down at the small blond who appears completely mesmerized by the feeling of the soft hair on the animal in front of them. When Eren examines further, he notices his eyes are moving with the motion of his hand. He doesn't realize until he looks back, but their fingers are brushing up against each other every few strokes.

"With the upcoming expedition, I mean."

"Oh." Eren stops and thinks for a moment, about the charts drawn up and the countless papers he's expected to go through, about the capable people and the way Commander Erwin seems so sure of himself, oozing confidence at the prospect of gaining results. "I think so, yeah. I think we'll be fine."

Armin hums, brows knitting together in thought. Eren can't help but feel like there's something he's missing. He's felt that way ever since the Commander whispered those cryptic, enigmatic words into his ear on the morning those two captured Titans were murdered. He wants to ask Armin about it, but he thinks now might not be the right time.

Armin turns to him fully, his hand ceasing its steady strokes. "Where do you think we'll be in five years?"

Eren stares at him in confusion. The question is sudden and unexpected and he doesn't know how to answer right away. He wants to give the straight, truthful response of "I don't know," but maybe that isn't an answer Armin is looking for. Maybe he needs reassurance. Maybe he's searching for another good reason worth trying.

With a contemplative sigh, Eren turns, the back of his legs against the wall, his elbows propped up on the old wooden ledge. He looks up at the sky, at the luminescent bright stars that dot the blackness.

"The ocean," he says, plain and simple.

Armin has turned around, too, but he isn't staring up at the night sky. Eren can feel his glistening gaze on him.

When Eren turns to Armin, he sees a gentle, sweet, genuine smile on his soft lips, the kind of smile that has his heart flipping and fluttering in his chest and makes his arms twitch with the overbearing _need_ to embrace Armin tightly and never let him go.

If simple little idealistic ideas were enough to make Armin smile in such a way, Eren would whisper them in his ear every day for five years and then the rest of their lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Realizing right as I post this that I wrote the fifth drabble to the prompt in five years. Look at me being unintentionally clever.


	6. Incorruptible And Fragile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because it's possible to perform random acts of kindness for angels too (even if they don't notice them).

Eren sat outside the tiny stairs that lead to the front door of his home while he awaited the return of his father. He hadn't seen him in the past four days while he was away on business in the Karanese District on the east side of Wall Rose. He lamented the fact that he wasn't allowed to go; he'd only been inside the interior of Wall Maria once and it had only been for a little while before he was dragged home and lectured by his mother.

He took to bouncing a shabby, threadbare ball at the wall, entranced by the monotonous thump against the wood surface and the rubber bouncing weakly against the gravelly ground.

Along with the sound of the ball hitting various surfaces, Eren heard sound the scuffling shoes against the rocky road, but it was too far away and out of his line of sight to see. So he paid it no mind and continued, taking the ball in hand when it reached his outstretched arms and throwing it back at the wall opposite him again.

The noise drew nearer, the dragging and rhythmic, frantic sound of footsteps against ground coming closer. From the corner of his eye, Eren noticed three forms headed his way. When he turned his head, he was startled to see a familiar, fourth figure rushing in his direction as well. His face was slightly paled, his chest rising and falling as he pushed his body to run much farther than he appeared capable.

Eren stared in confusion as the three looming figures caught up with the small boy, and they grabbed him by the arm, shouting expletives and insults that made Eren's blood boil. How _dare_ they refer to an angel in such a way?

He placed to ball at the foot of the steps and stood up, fully intending to abrasively intervene, but when he began making his way over to the others, he watched as Armin none-too-gently bit the hand of the guy who was gripping his arm, and he took the opportunity to run away again.

It took the three assailants a moment before realizing that their target had taken off, and when they ran after him in blind pursuit, Eren wasted no time in taking his ball and deftly rolling it in their paths. He watched in amused satisfaction as one tripped over the ball, and the other two came tumbling after. When they glared his way, Eren only smiled innocuously, hands behind his back and eyes glinting impishly.

The bullies cursed under their breaths when they found that Blue-Eyed Angel was long gone, and Eren silently cheered the fragile yet incorruptible angel on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because Armin is a perfectly capable child. uwu


	7. Hope's Bright Flame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren gets nervous sometimes and Armin knows just how to take his mind off things, if only for a few minutes.

Eren tends to not think too hard about situations for valid reasons. He's perfectly capable of analyzing a situation--though not with the same mental prowess as a certain intellectual blond-- but he has the ability. When he does allow himself to ponder on his actions or the indefinite events of the future, he becomes anxious.

He decides to slip away from watchful eyes to go on a walk, to clear his head of thoughts of the upcoming expedition, pushing away unneeded ideas of inadequacy and potential screw ups. But the quiet environment only gives him a greater reason to delve into his mind and pick away at his troubling thoughts.

He sits himself around the back of the castle, his back pressing up against the stone wall and his knees drawn up to his chest. He stays like that, curled up and looking ahead at the vegetation nearby, and he thinks to himself that it isn't enough--there's so much more to be seen.

Footfalls on the ground cause Eren to move his head towards the sound. He half expects to see Levi or the other four who are a part of his squad, or Mikasa, anyone but Armin. The blond is walking casually towards him, strolling over with leisure, and sitting down next to him when he reaches him.

"What are you doing here?" They say at the same time and laugh.

Eren speaks first this time, repeating the question.

"I noticed you were gone so I went looking for you. You seem depressed; is everything all right?"

"How do you know?"

Armin raises an eyebrow as though it's the most obvious thing in the world. It probably is to him.

"Body language, Eren. And you're not very subtle about it. Especially when you think no one's looking."

Eren self-consciously unravels his closed in body and stretches out his legs. This prompts a giggle to bubble up from Armin's lips, and Eren smiles softly at the sweet sound.

"So?" Armin bumps his side with his elbow. "What's on your mind?"

Eren's smile fades and a frown takes its place. "The expedition," he says, eyes downcast, picking at the stray grass blades near the wall. "Just...it's unimportant."

Armin is pouting his lips, completely dissatisfied with Eren's dishonest answer. "Are you worried that something will go wrong?"

Eren nods his head.

"That's understandable. It is our first one and there's that high possibility of--"

"Armin!" Eren cuts him off. He knows the statistic and he doesn't want to be reminded.

"Sorry."

Eren leans back against the stones, slouching in his posture, and continues his assault on the grass blades below his hand.

"Eren," Armin calls almost quietly, his small, pale hand on Eren's shoulder. Eren turns to him, and Armin takes that opportunity to sling his other arm around his shoulder to pull him close. The hug is unexpected, but certainly not unpleasant; Eren heartbeat stutters and quickens in his chest.

"It's okay. It'll be okay."

Eren relaxes into the warm embrace. His fears and insecurities are pushed away to make room for hope's bright flame.

_It'll be okay._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just realized with the way I'm taking this that there may be manga spoilers in the distant future, but we'll see.


	8. Near Your Side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just when Eren thinks he's never going to see Blue-Eyed Angel again...

It had been a full month since he'd last seen the earth bound angel when he unexpected crossed his path and flew— _ran_ —out of sight. When two weeks had passed, Eren figured he'd gone back to heaven after the realization that Earth wasn't such great a place to be in. Eren didn't blame him; it wasn't always a paradise what with parents who sent him off to do chores and taught him things when he'd rather go and play outside, or the other kids outside who shunned him all because of that one incident where he may have bit the arm of a kid playing a stationary guard until there was blood. He was playing the titan, what did they expect titans to do?

Blue-Eyed Angel was the only other person his age (he only guessed they were the same age—they appeared to be) he'd spoken to in a few months, and Eren was hoping to speak to him again. But it had been so long since their last encounter that Eren gradually lost hope in ever seeing him again.

That was until there was a knock at the front door, and Eren's mother opened it to a short and dainty blonde women who held the small hand of a gaunt little boy standing at her side. Eren couldn't get a good look of the two figures at they stalked into another room.

His father, Grisha, called out to him a little while later, instructing him to go and fetch a bucket of water and a towel. Whoever was there was probably sick, Eren thought as he dutifully complied. Eren was used to helping his father deal with sick patients.

When he walked into the room, he gasped, eyes wide and smile forming on his face. "It's you!"

Out of sheer coincidence, Blue-Eyed Angel was sitting down on the spare mattress, but something was wrong, Eren could tell. His face wasn't glowing or radiating the way it should. His cheeks were red and his eyes were drooping with fatigue. A mercury thermometer was perched in between his sickly lips.

Eren immediately frowned and set the bucket of water down beside his father. "What's wrong with him?"

"Right now, he seems to have contracted a fever," he peered at his son, who was staring intently at the small blond, features etched with worry. "Do you know him?"

Eren nodded with zeal. "Yeah! I saw him in the streets twice!"

His father didn't say anything more as he told the boy to lie down, and he placed the towel, soaked with water, on his head. "Now, Armin, open your mouth again."

Eren nearly jumped in excitement when he heard the angel's name. _Armin_.

Grisha examined the reading on the thermometer, nodding his head as he assented to his own silent speculation. "Ah, just as I thought. I have just the thing. I'll be a minute."

He got up and left and Eren took that chance to sit himself beside Armin. Armin blinked slowly before turning his head to him. Eren stared back, eyes still wide with wonder.

"Your name’s Armin?"

The blond nodded.

Eren smiled. "I'm Eren!"

Armin managed a weak smile and he attempted to open his mouth to speak, but his throat was scratchy and the first syllable came out in a grating tone. It was not at all like the first time they'd met.

"It's okay, Armin," Eren said in a reassuring tone. He brought a hand up to pet his cute little blond head in a gesture of comfort. "You'll feel better soon, you'll see. My dad's a great doctor."

Armin only yawned before suddenly placing his tired head on Eren's left shoulder. Eren had no idea what do to, so he opted to do what his mother does whenever he wasn't feeling well. He rubbed Armin's back in awkward circle motions and spoke comforting words into his ear—or tried to; they reached the top of his head instead.

"I'll stay right here near your side until you get well soon, promise."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Switching back and forth between past and present tense is a lot harder than I thought it would be. orz


	9. Find a Way to Right This Wrong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything feels like a nightmare all over again.

Everything feels like a nightmare all over again. Nothing is lucid, nothing makes sense; the world spins by him in a nebulous mist.

The past day alone has been filled with red and black; the red of rage and the red of blood. The black of despair, of regret, of guilty and the literal jaws closing in on him as he's left thinking about possible actions with its probable outcomes.

_If only I'd done this, then..._

It is all a tragedy and he can't help but think that it’s entirely his fault; no matter how many times his friends or Corporal Levi tells him otherwise, tries to assuage his qualms, his thoughts reel back to those two words.

_If only._

He sits in the empty dining hall, once filled with bustling bodies and now so empty, so quiet, the only faint sound coming from the constant sips of Corporal Levi downing his black tea. His deep gray eyes bore into Eren's wary green ones, and he cracks a humorless joke before returning to his hot liquid of a drink. Eren laughs nervously and waits for Commander Erwin to return.

When he does come into the hall, he has Mikasa and Armin walking in tandem right behind him. All three pull out a wooden chair, the legs scraping against the hardwood floors and momentarily disrupting the silence. But only for a second; it drapes the room once more, heavy and suffocating and undeniably deafening.

Finally, Erwin speaks. He's gesturing to Armin as he does so, saying things along the line of _formulating a plan_ and _identity of the Female Titan_. Eren gets a spike of hope for the first time in a while, and he stares at Armin with a sense of pride as he mentally ruffles his blond hair and pats his back in approval. Armin is smiling tentatively and Eren doesn't know why until he mentions who they've speculated as being the human face behind the giant fifteen meter monstrosity.

_No._

He wants to find a way to right this wrong, he wants to believe in Armin as he always have, he wants to go forward with the plan unperturbed and take back a fraction of what humanity has lost, but a block is congealing in his mind, in his subconscious. He feels at a lost as he helplessly looks at Armin, whose gaze is now downcast.

_You can't be serious._

Armin peeks at him and then he stares down at his hands perched on the table top. He's completely serious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was meant to be the first angsty drabble out of maybe 6 but ehhh.
> 
> Angst isn't my strong point, can you tell.


End file.
